Prime UN courtroom confirms jurisdiction to listen to the 2 international locations’ mutual discrimination claims over Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ) has introduced it has jurisdiction to listen to opposing circumstances introduced by arch foes Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The UN’s high courtroom mentioned in two separate statements on Tuesday that the 2 anti-discrimination circumstances filed by the Caucasus neighbours in opposition to one another can transfer ahead.
Following a warfare over the area of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, the 2 sides filed tit-for-tat fits on the ICJ inside every week in September 2021. The 2 international locations have contested the territory within the three a long time for the reason that Soviet Union collapsed.
Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of violating the Worldwide Conference on the Elimination of All Types of Racial Discrimination, to which each states are signatories, and says it engaged in “ethnic cleaning” within the area.
Azerbaijan has denied the allegations and filed a counterclaim, saying that Armenia was the one responsible of the cost. Baku additionally accused Yerevan of hate speech and “racist” propaganda.
Each states requested the courtroom, which guidelines in disputes between states, to order protecting measures whereas the case is ongoing.
The ICJ issued emergency orders in December 2021, calling on each events to stop incitement and promotion of racial hatred.
Since then, the courtroom has been reviewing varied motions submitted by each international locations in opposition to one another’s circumstances.
Initially, it dismissed all objections raised by Azerbaijan in opposition to Armenia’s case. Nevertheless, it upheld a few of Armenia’s objections, narrowing the scope of Azerbaijan’s case. The courtroom dominated that it might solely take into account incidents occurring after September 1996 and excluded the examination of alleged environmental hurt attributed to Armenia.
Armenia returned to the ICJ within the weeks after Azeri forces seized Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, prompting virtually its whole ethnic Armenian inhabitants of round 100,000 to flee to Armenia. The courtroom on the time issued emergency measures ordering Azerbaijan to let ethnic Armenians who fled the enclave return.
Azerbaijan says it has pledged to make sure all residents’ security and safety, no matter nationwide or ethnic origin, and that it has not pressured ethnic Armenians to go away the area.
Whereas the ICJ’s orders are binding, the courtroom has no mechanism for implementing them.
The courtroom didn’t say on Tuesday when the following hearings within the rival circumstances would happen.
A last ruling on the deserves of the circumstances might take years.